In one turn of the head from certain spots along the Santa Cruz Mountains, you can get a view that can make you feel that you have made good on a New Year’s resolution: Do something special that gives you a restart on life.

In the span of a mile along Skyline Boulevard near the southern border of San Mateo County, there are three lookouts where you could make this happen right now: Caltrans’ Vista Point, the Clouds Rest Trail at adjoining Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, and Borel Hill at adjacent Russian Ridge Open Space. If you “go the extra mile,” as the saying goes, you can get a fourth at nearby Mindego Hill, one of the newest trails and among the most overlooked lookouts in the Bay Area.

The timing is ideal. Some of the best days for views in the Bay Area are often the crystal days between storms, and rain is intermittently in the forecast for the next week.On Saturday, with a break in the procession of storms, it’s possible the sky could be textured with a mix of cumulus, alto cirrus and distant coastal stratus.

Now is the time and this is the place, no matter your level of ambition or fitness. Here’s where to go:

Vista Point is a good starting point with instant views and two nearby trailheads. It is located on Skyline on the South Peninsula, 6 miles south of Sky Londa, 1.2 miles north of the junction with Page Mill and Alpine Road. Parking is diagonal to Skyline, with a short curb made out of rockwork. If you can walk 20 feet, you reach the east-facing edge of the Skyline. The big view spans across the Santa Clara Valley, South San Francisco Bay and beyond to Mount Diablo and the observatory domes atop Mount Hamilton. Below, you tower over Stanford’s off-limits Felt Lake, Hoover Tower, downtown Palo Alto and beyond to the Dumbarton and San Mateo bridges. If you can drive and walk 20 feet, you can get this view.

2. Clouds Rest Trail

From parking at Vista Point, walk a short distance north on the road’s shoulder to the trailhead on the right for the Clouds Rest Trail and access to Coal Creek Open Space Preserve. Because there is no formal parking at the trailhead along Skyline, Coal Creek Open Space can get missed. It spans from Skyline across a sub ridge and down to historic old Alpine Road (closed to vehicles). As you descend on the Clouds Rest Trail, you get an awesome scope to the east, where it feels you can spread out your arms and take in the expanse of the South Bay. It is 0.4 of a mile to a junction. Turn left and sail downhill another half mile through the woods and to Old La Honda Road. Here you turn right and walk another half mile up the Meadow Trail. Turn right to complete the loop, a climb of 400 feet over the course of 1.2 miles back to the start. Leashed dogs OK. 2.6-mile round trip.

3. Borel Hill

If you want to go

Cost: Parking, access free.

Map: Map/brochure at trailheads; PDFs at www.openspace.org.

Dogs: Leashed dogs permitted on trails at Coal Creek Preserve; no dogs permitted on trails at Russian Ridge Preserve and to Borel Hill or Mindego Hill

Horses, mountain bikes: Allowed on designated trails; mountain bikes must yield to horses and hikers, then pass at 5 mph or less. On either side of the handlebars, try a smile.

Skyline parking: Drive to Interstate 280 on the San Francisco Peninsula, continue on I-280 to Woodside and the exit for Woodside Road/Highway 84. Take the exit to Woodside Road, turn west (right if coming from the north/San Francisco) and drive 6.5 miles (through Woodside, enter redwoods, becomes curvy as you climb) to Sky Londa and Skyline Boulevard/Highway 35. Turn left on Skyline and drive 6 miles to Caltrans Vista Point on left. Park here.

To trailheads: From Caltrans Vista Point: For the trailhead to Borel Hill at Russian Ridge Open Space, cross Skyline and trailhead up the road a short distance on your left (west). For the trailhead to Clouds Rest Trail in Coal Creek Open Space, walk up the road (north) a short distance to trailhead on the right (east).

Mindego Hill: From the junction of Highway 84 at Sky Londa (see above), turn left on Skyline/Highway 35 and drive 7.3 miles (0.8 of a mile past Vista Point) to the junction with Alpine Road on right (Page Mill Road on left). Turn right on Alpine Road and drive 1.3 miles (becomes curvy) to turnoff on right to new parking area.

Vista Point from South Bay: From Palo Alto at I-280, take Page Mill Road west about 10 miles (becomes very narrow and curvy) to Skyline/Highway 35. Continue straight on Alpine Road for 1.3 miles to parking and trailhead on right.

Watch out for bikes: Highway 84, Skyline, Page Mill Road and Alpine Road are all narrow, curvy routes that are popular with road bikes; drive slow and work together to pass.

Distances to Skyline parking: 12 miles from Woodside, 14 miles from Palo Alto (via Page Mill Road), 32 miles from San Bruno, 41 miles from Hayward, 43 miles from San Francisco, 49 miles from Sausalito.

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From parking at Vista Point, cross Skyline and walk a very short distance north on the road’s shoulder to the trailhead on your left for Borel Hill and access to Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. This is a big preserve on the west-facing flank of Skyline that spans to Alpine Road to the south, Mindego Hill to the west. There are multiple trailheads. The best first trip is the half-mile climb from Skyline to 2,572-foot Borel Hill. The pay-off is a gorgeous panorama across 20 miles of coastal hills to a glimpse of the ocean on the horizon. You’ll see how Mindego Hill rises in front of you. When the stratus rolls in across the foothills, Mindego Hill can look like an island poking up through a sea of fog. No dogs. 1.1-mile round trip.

4. Mindego Hill

The trailhead is located along Alpine Road, not Skyline, and provides access to the newest trail in the region. It’s a 4.8-mile round trip that is crowned by the views at 2,143-foot Mindego Hill. A small loop circles the summit, with views every direction you face. To the east are Skyline Ridge and Borel Hill. A scope of 180 degrees to the west spans across the hills to the coast. To the west, the Pescadero Creek watershed is in its path to the sea, and to its south, the Butano Rim. The Mindego Gateway Parking Area is at 2,200 feet. The Mindego Hill Trail is 2.3 miles one-way to the short loop around the summit. No dogs. 4.8-mile round trip.

Tom Stienstra is the outdoors writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is America’s first Back Country Sportsman of the Year and the only two-time National Outdoor Writer of the year. In 2008, he won first place for best outdoors column in America. As a photographer with The Chronicle, he won first place in America for best outdoors feature image in 2011. That year he was also awarded as Far West Ski Writer of the Year. His books have sold more than 1 million copies. His first novel, "The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery," was released for 2013. His television show on CBS/CW won first place as America’s best outdoor recreation show, and his radio show on CBS won first place in 2010 for best environmental feature show in America. Tom has hiked 25,000 miles, caught world-record fish, led dozens of expeditions and taken part in all phases of the outdoor experience. He was the fourth living member inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.